Health

Can Alzheimer’s Be Prevented Before It Starts?

The causative agent that is supposed to be the source of Alzheimer’s disease is amyloid beta plaques in the brain. Amyloid beta (Aβ or Abeta) refers to 36-43 amino acid peptides that are significantly involved in Alzheimer’s disease as the major component of amyloid plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Peptides are derived from amyloid precursor protein (APP), which is cleaved by beta secretase and gamma secretase to produce Aβ. Aβ molecules can form flexible soluble oligomers that can exist in a variety of forms. Oligomers are toxic to nerve cells. The tau protein involved in Alzheimer’s disease also forms prion-like oligomers.

The blood test developed by international scientists determines the status of these amyloid beta concentrations using a small blood sample. One of the biggest challenges faced by many Alzheimer’s researchers today is the difficulty of diagnosing the disease in the early preclinical stage. Based on the hypothesis that amyloid plaques in the brain are one of the main causes of the disease, it is generally thought that these plaques accumulate slowly within 10-20 years, long before clinical signs such as memory loss, ie degenerative symptoms appear.

During its daily tasks, the brain continually produces a sticky protein called amyloid beta and then cleans it. Some of the protein is also washed in the blood and spinal fluid. However, if the protein begins to form clusters, it can accumulate in the brain as plaques, adhering to neurons, causing neurological damage and contributing to the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

In previous years, testing for amyloid beta deposits in the brain was a laborious, expensive and invasive process that consisted of costly positron emission tomography (PET) scans or analysis of cerebrospinal fluid extracted by lumbar puncture. There was also no blood test to monitor these buildups. The blood test, developed by scientists in Japan and Australia and tested in hundreds of patients, is 90% successful in predicting whether there is an abnormal accumulation of amyloid beta in the brain.

The test can also measure several amyloid-related proteins at very low concentrations, according to researcher Koichi Tanaka. Colin Masters of the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health says the test is an invaluable tool to detect potential patients and increase the pace of new drug trials.

Indeed, although there is currently no effective single treatment for Alzheimer’s, the fact that blood testing makes clinical trials more effective is accelerating studies. Henceforth, detection of the disease years before any symptoms appear will help future patients take the necessary precautions to combat the harmful effects of these amyloid beta concentrations.

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